Typically shifter mechanisms are linked with a transmission cable to adjust gears within the transmission as a shifter is moved between various positions. In alternative shifter designs a shifter may be linked to a sensor such that various movements of a shift lever may be detected by an electronic system and change the transmission gear in response to movement of the shift lever. There are also shifters in the art that include a shift gate having a cross body or cross car slot that allows for the shifter to move laterally such that a driver of the vehicle may toggle an automatic transmission in a manual fashion.
However, many vehicles utilize a shift gate that is straight and does not include a lateral or cross car slot allowing a driver to manually adjust a drive gear of the vehicle. There is therefore a need in the art for a shifter assembly that includes a decoupling mechanism that disconnects a shift lever from a transmission cable in a straight gate design. There is also a need in the art for a shifter assembly that includes a clutch that selectively transmits motion of the shift lever to a cable over various travel positions of a shift lever.
Additionally, electronic shifters are also known in the art, however such shifters may need the addition of a cable for various applications when placing a vehicle into a park position. There is therefore a need in the art for a shifter assembly that may accommodate such requirements.